Victorian news
New Lead Compliance Code
The Minister for Workplace Safety, Ingrid Stitt, has approved the making of the new Lead compliance code (code). The code came into effect last Thursday 14 April 2022.
The new code provides practical guidance for those who have duties or obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017, in relation to exposure to lead in the workplace. The code has replaced the existing non-statutory Lead guidebook and is now WorkSafe’s main practical guidance for controlling risks associated with lead exposure.
A copy of the code can be found on the WorkSafe website, or by calling WorkSafe's Advisory Service.
New 'in-language' resources
Workers born overseas are at higher risk of workplace injury than other Australians.
It can be hard to raise safety concerns if your co-workers speak a different language to you or if you work with close friends or family. But of course all workers have the right to be in a healthy and safe workplace, whether you're a worker or an employer.
Because of this, it is important that we talk about safety because every workplace has different health and safety needs.
WorkSafe has produced translated materials and easy to use resources in 19 languages - these can be found here.
In addition, there is a poster to help get the safety conversation started at your workplace:
- In English
- In Greek/Italian/Khmer/Spanish and Thai
- In Arabic/Burmese/Dari/Dinka/Malay
- In Indonesian/Korean/Tagalog/Urdu
National News
Reminder: Comcare Webinar on Contractor management
The Contractor management—Shared duties and control webinar may be of interest to workers and HSRs under the Comcare system.
Comcare's Senior Inspectors, Susan Jones and Craig Servin from Comcare's Regulatory Operations Group will provide organisations that engage contractors with a clearer understanding of shared duties and responsibilities under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act).
The webinar will cover:
- refresh of duties and responsibilities under the WHS Act
- understanding ‘control of work’ and what is reasonably practicable
- practical tips on managing contractors.
Webinar details: Tuesday 3 May; 11am - 11:45 am AEST; via Microsoft Teams. Register now.
National Fatality Statistics 2022
Safe Work Australia last updated its statistics on fatalities on April 7, at which time it had been notified that 47 Australian workers had been killed at work this year, this is 18 more than at the time of its previous update on March 17.
The fatalities have been in the following sectors:
- 22 in Transport, postal & warehousing
- 12 in Agriculture, forestry & fishing
- 3 in Public administration & safety
- 3 in Construction
- 2 in Electricity, gas, water & waste services
- 2 in 'other services'
- 1 in Accommodation & food services
- 1 in Manufacturing
- 1 in Mining
These figures are based mainly on initial media reports and provide a preliminary estimate of the number of people killed while working. Once the appropriate authority has investigated the death, more accurate information becomes available from which Safe Work Australia updates details of the incident. Consequently, sometimes the numbers of deaths in each sector change. To check for updates, and for more details on fatalities since 2003, go to the Safe Work Australia Preliminary worker deaths webpage. Updated information is used to publish Safe Work Australia’s annual Work-related Traumatic Injury Fatalities database which includes finalised work-related fatalities from 2003 onwards. Note that the figures are based on preliminary reports, and so at times will change.
